Merced County supervisors approve $1.35 million contract to update jail

MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Merced County Board of Supervisors has voted to move forward with plans for an updated jail facility.

The project would create a 256-bed maximum-security expansion at the John Latorraca Correctional Center.

It would essentially replace the aging main jail in downtown Merced.

On Tuesday, the board unanimously approved a $1.35 million contract with a Sacramento company to manage the project.

Sheriff Vern Warnke has said conditions at both jails in the county have played a role in a series of recent escapes.

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Personnel mistakes and a deteriorating jail led to six inmates escaping from the Merced County jail earlier this year, the Merced County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.